UofL FOOTBALL | Is Louisville's young offense to blame for inconsistency?

The Louisville football team has plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball, but they do not have that luxury on offense. In the Cards’ game against Clemson, the only upperclassman to contribute to the Louisville offense was junior running back Brandon Radcliff who rushed 19 times for 45 yards. Other than Radcliff, every single yard of offensive production came from underclassmen.

The top four receivers for the Cards on Saturday were all freshman. Wide receivers Jaylen Smith (3 Rec. 77 Yds), Traveon Samuel (4 Rec. 41 Yds), Devante Peete (2 Rec. 41 Yds.), and tight end Mickey Crum (4 Rec. 36 Yds.) made up over 75 percent of the Cards 253 receiving yards. Samuel also notched a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Seeing so many underclassmen on the field foreshadows a promising Louisville future, but now that the Cards are 0 – 3, Head Coach Bobby Petrino is addressing the fact that such a youthful attack is resulting in offensive inconsistencies.

Another position ripe with young talent is the heavily contested quarterback spot. Redshirt sophomore Kyle Bolin and freshman Lamar Jackson were the only QBs to add to the Louisville yardage totals against Clemson.

What might be considered even tougher on a young leader than on-field production, is rallying the team behind them. The inherent leadership qualities required by a quarterback can be daunting and difficult for young QBs, especially on a team in the throws of a moral busting losing streak.

We asked former Louisville Quarterback Adam Froman what the team needs from the offensive focal point.

Petrino touched on the quarterback position, freshman production, and what the team needs to figure out moving forward to their game against Samford this Saturday. Check out his full press conference below: